You'll Soon Be Able to Ski on a Power Plant in Copenhagen

Danish architects and landscape specialists have worked their magic yet again and will soon inaugurate Copenhagen’s first ski slope, which will be standing on the top of the most sustainable waste-to-energy plant.

From the Opera House to Orestad’s modern buildings, Copenhagen is undoubtedly a city with a strong architectural scene that only seems to be getting better. The newest architectural masterpiece will be added to the city’s already long catalog in September 2018 and will make locals look forward to snowy days.

Amager Bakke Waste | Courtesy of SLA

Bjarge Ingels Group and landscape architects SLA joined forces and designed a 16,000 square-metre (172,000 square-foot) rooftop activity park that will be transformed into a ski slope more than 500 metres (1600 feet) long during the wintertime. Amager Bakke Rooftop Park will be standing on the top of the 88-metre (288-foot) tall Amager Resource Center, where 400,000 tonnes (448,000 tons) of waste will be burned annually, producing clean energy that will be enough to power 60,000 homes in the area.

Amager Bakke Waste, Ski Slope | Courtesy of SLA

According to SLA partner Rasmus Astrup, creating a rooftop activity landscape was more than challenging, not only due to the extreme weather conditions but also because of the specific standards it had to meet in order to offer accessible activities for all locals. ‘The goal is to ensure that Amager Bakke will become an eventful recreational public space with a strong aesthetic and sensuous city nature that gives value for all Copenhageners – all year round’, says Astrup.

Amager Bakke Waste | Courtesy of SLA

It may take a while to design this innovative building but it won’t be long until Copenhageners can enjoy their city’s new activity park, where they’ll have the chance to hike, jog, climb, have fun at the specially designed playgrounds and, most importantly, ski.